The Chatham Maroons drew first blood in round one of the GOJHL playoffs on Thursday with a 2-1 victory over the St. Thomas Stars in Game 1.
The Stars were able to take a 1-0 lead with a goal early in the first period. However, Brendan D'Agostino kicked off the second frame with a goal after 1:51 to tie the game. Cole Dezainde followed up with a goal halfway through the second to put Chatham in the lead.
The Maroons were able to keep the Stars at bay in the final period to leave the ice with the win.
Chatham now leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
"It's always nice to get Game 1. Any playoff series you look at, a lot of the time the visiting team tries to steal Game 1," says Maroons coach Ron Horvat. "I thought we had a slow start, but we had [Brendan] Johnston in net. [He] made a few key saves at the right time and we went on to victory."
The two teams face off on Friday for Game 2 in St. Thomas. The puck drops at 7:30pm.
